If you want off-the-shelf robot components, free software, and development tools, this is the book for you. You can download all the software—it’s GPL (General Public License) or Apache License—and you can purchase the components from your favorite robot supplier and/or hobby shop. The following sections outline the experience you should have to get the most out of the book.

I admit I was a programmer before I started building robots. So my perspective may be somewhat skewed in the direction of a programmer. However, I also didn’t want this book to be from a purely software engineering perspective. I wanted to keep the text balanced between robotics and programming and not get too cute with either discipline, though from time to time I’m afraid I may have indulged myself.

For those picking up this book, you should hopefully be an intermediate robot builder already; be familiar with microcontroller concepts, servo controllers, electronic speed controls, and sensors; and have either built a robot from scratch or from a kit. I can recommend a few robots from Lynxmotion, Inc., or if you want to build one from scratch, take a look at some of the Apress books penned by David Cook.